FERC Tells Court It Has Power To Extend MVP Deadline

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission says it has the power to give the Mountain Valley Pipeline more time to build its Southgate Extension.

Two sections of pipe rest on the ground as a yellow sign warns people of pressure testing for a natural gas pipeline.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission says it has the power to give the Mountain Valley Pipeline more time to build its Southgate Extension from Virginia into North Carolina. 

A coalition of groups led by Appalachian Voices asked the U.S. Appeals Court in the District of Columbia to review the agency’s decision from last year.

The 303-mile main line of the nearly $8 billion MVP began operating in June. The 31-mile extension would serve Dominion Power and Duke Energy.

A previous deadline for the project passed in June 2023.

FERC says it holds broad discretion under the Natural Gas Act to set construction deadlines for gas transmission projects and extend them for “good cause.”

Author: Curtis Tate

Curtis is our Energy & Environment Reporter, based in Charleston. He has spent more than 17 years as a reporter and copy editor for Gannett, Dow Jones and McClatchy. He has written extensively about travel, transportation and Congress for USA TODAY, The Bergen Record, The Lexington Herald-Leader, The Wichita Eagle, The Belleville News-Democrat and The Sacramento Bee. You can reach him at ctate@wvpublic.org.

Exit mobile version